DHS Releases Nonimmigrant Admission Statistics for 2013 | Columbus Immigration Lawyer

The Department of Homeland Security ("DHS") Office of Immigration Statistics recently announced the number and characteristics of nonimmigrant admissions to the U.S. in 2013. In 2013, there were 173 million nonimmigrant admissions to the U.S. according to DHS. 

173 million nonimmigrant admissions in 2013.

The experienced business immigration lawyer at Porter Law Office, LLC guides employers and employees in Columbus, Ohio and throughout the United States through the complicated procedures involved in the immigration process.  

Contact Columbus employment immigration lawyer Matthew R. Porter today for free consultation to discuss your nonimmigrant options.

H-1B Cap Reached for Fiscal Year 2013

If you are working in Ohio on OPT or finishing up your graduate studies, and were hoping to get in under the H-1B cap to start working on October 1, 2012 (the 2013 fiscal year), you are out of luck.  USCIS announded that the annual limit for H-1B petitions was reached as of June 11, 2012.  Any cap-subject petitions received after that date will be rejected.  Even though you might have missed the H-1B cap, you still have options.  Ohio H-1B lawyer's recent blog article about other visa options in lieu of the H-1B visa.

USCIS Accepting H-1Bs for FY2013 on April 2, 2012

This is an important message for employers and H-1B employees in Columbus, Ohio.  H-1B cap season is on the horizon and USCIS has announced that it will begin accepting H-1B petitions under the 2013 cap on April 2, 2012.  USCIS provides detailed information on its website about preparing the H-1B petition.  If you will be filing an H-1B cap petition on behalf of an employee, I would encourage you to read USCIS's website information, which I have provided the link to here.  If you should have any questions on the H-1B cap, contact me anytime.

Immigration 101: The Fundamentals of PERM

This article addresses the fundamentals of obtaining a green card through "PERM," or Program Electronic Review Management.  If you are currently working for an employer in a visa category that allows you to apply for a green card through PERM, this article provides important information that you should know regarding the PERM process.  This article is not meant to be a comprehensive analysis of the PERM process.  It merely provides a context for which you can begin to understand what PERM is generally and some of the requirements during the process.

U.S. Consulate in Chennai, India No Longer Processing Immigrant Visas (IVs)

Effective January 1, 2012, the US Consulate General in Chennai will no longer process Immigrant Visa petitions. The U.S. Embassy in New Delhi and U.S. Consulate in Mumbai will become the only centers in India that will accept Immigrant Visas. The Immigrant Visa, i.e., green card, allows an individual to live and work in the United States on a permanent basis, as well as provides the immigrant the opportunity to work towards U.S. citizenship. Examples of Immigrant Visa based petitions are family based petitions of parents, children and siblings. These petitions also include the K-1 Fiancée visa and the employer category, where one’s employer can petition for the individual and their dependents to immigrate to the United States through the PERM process.

You have an H-1B Visa: Now What?

If your employer recently sponsored and obtain an H-1B visa on your behalf, then you might be asking yourself, now what?  How long can I stay here on H-1B?  When can I get a green card?  What if I want to change employers, will that affect my H-1B status or green card?  Can I travel on H-1B?  These are all very good questions.  This article provides guidance to those foreign nationals who are currently on H-1B and wish to remain in the U.S. permanently and answers these very important questions.

Immigrant Investor EB-5 Visa: Green Card Through Investment

Did you know that the United States offers a green card for a $1 million investment in a business, and in some cases only $500,000 (USD)?  In Columbus, Ohio there are ample opportunities for ambitious investors to live the American Dream, and get a greed card doing it.  You and your spouse and children can obtain green cards under the EB-5 Immigrant Investor visa.  The EB-5 visa was created by Congress in 1990 in an effort to stimulate the U.S. economy through job creation and capital investment by alien investors.  In today's economic climate, the time is now to take advantage of the EB-5 visa.  Here's why.